The 2018 crash, which has ensnared rival coins like Ether and XRP, is entering the same league as Bitcoin’s 93% plunge in 2011 from its previous record high, and its 84% rout from 2013 to 2015, during the collapse of Tokyo-based crypto exchange Mt. Gox. In dollar terms, the damage has been even bigger this time around: Virtual currencies tracked by CoinMarketCap.com have lost more than $700 billion of value since the market peaked in January.

While bulls are betting that demand from institutional investors will spark a rally, most big money managers have stayed on the sidelines amid concerns over exchange security, market manipulation and regulatory risk.

The sell-off is “really testing the faith of a few key players," Ryan Rabaglia, Hong Kong-based head trader at OSL, a cryptocurrency dealing firm, said in a phone interview. “I do think for this next push, we are going to need that institutional money to come in finally. To lend that support and help with growth."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.